TSB's

Paying attention to a vehicle’s condition is especially important when buying a used car because you never know what kind of issues it may have had over the years. Accidents, rust, and even just the typical dings and dents of everyday driving can all have an impact on a used car’s condition. The good news for potential shoppers is that there are some very helpful ways to help check what kind of shape a car is in before you buy it – including Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs).

Now, don’t worry if you’ve never heard of TSBs before. They certainly don’t get as much attention as vehicle recalls, although the principle behind them is the same. In both cases, they’re examples of an automaker realizing its cars have a problem and rolling out an official fix. The biggest differences are:

• Recalls are for critical safety risks, and although TSBs can be for lesser safety issues, like faulty fuel pumps, they can also be for non-safety problems such as wonky infotainment software.
• Recalls are mandatory under the regulations of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). TSBs are voluntary for automakers.
• Car companies have to proactively notify drivers of recalls, but not TSBs. Instead, it’s usually only dealerships who are informed of TSBs.
• Recall work is done free of charge to the driver, while TSB repairs are generally only free if the vehicle is under warranty.

That means any given used car could have an issue that the automaker is already aware of but hasn’t told drivers about. True, it may not be a critical safety risk, yet TSBs can still cover expensive-to-replace equipment that some driver will have to pay for – and you don’t want to be that driver.

So before you buy or sell any used vehicle be sure to check if any TSBs have been issued for it. One way is to go to the NHTSA website. It has a database of TSBs that is searchable by vehicle make, model, and year. Another option is to check the website of the vehicle manufacturer. Many automakers have a section on their website where they list TSBs for their vehicles.

A couple of other tips include Having your vehicle's VIN number handy. The VIN number is a unique 17-character number that identifies your vehicle. You can find your VIN number on the driver's side door jamb, a small metal plate on the top of the dash, or on the vehicle registration. Also, be specific when searching for TSBs. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to find the information you are looking for. For example, instead of searching for "TSBs for Ford vehicles," search for "TSBs for 2010 Ford F-150 trucks.”

Drivers can further increase their knowledge of a vehicle’s condition by having a mechanic inspect the car before buying it, checking a vehicle history report, and doing their own online research. Searching for common problems of a specific vehicle can often turn up information in online owner forums and other social media that may not have gotten to NHTSA yet. 

Then there are benefits like these:

• TSBs can tell you about problems that are common to a particular vehicle. This information can help you avoid buying a used vehicle that’s going to have costly repairs down the road. 
• TSBs can tell you about problems that the car has had in the past. This information can help you make an informed decision about whether or not to buy the car.
• If you find out that the car has a TSB, you can use this information to negotiate a better price with the seller. The seller may be willing to lower the price of the car to offset the cost of the repairs.

The bottom line is that the more you know about a used car, the more likely you are to get a better deal!